1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connection strips used for high density wiring in telecommunication systems, and more particularly relates to a novel mounting assembly that allows a single connection strip to be securely mounted on a variety of mounting brackets that are commonly available in the industry while being easily releasable from the brackets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Connection strips for high density wiring in telecommunication systems are well-known devices. One such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,273 to Carney, issued Nov. 3, 1992, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
A connection strip is generally configured to attach to a mounting bracket. In the telecommunications industry there are a variety of mounting bracket configurations that are presently being used because the connection strip manufacturers customarily design their connection strips to attach to their mounting brackets.
One such mounting bracket is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,309 to Carney et al., issued Oct. 18, 1994 which discloses a tabbed mounting bracket, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The tabbed mounting bracket disclosed in this patent includes an excluding protrusion as illustrated by item 44 in FIGS. 2 and 5 of the present application. A second mounting bracket is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,885 to Forberg et al. issued Aug. 4, 1981, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This patent discloses a tabbed mounting bracket that does not include an excluding protrusion on the mounting tab. Another mounting bracket is manufactured by Quante AG, or one of its subsidiaries, (hereinafter "Quante") for the Quante SID C connection strip. The Quante mounting bracket is tabless and its pertinent structure is illustrated in FIG. 3 of the present application. A tabless mounting bracket similar to the Quante bracket is known as a "Modular Cross Connect Backmount" and is disclosed in drawings prepared by BT Network and Systems, a division of British Telecommunications plc.
The Carney et al. '309 patent also discloses a releasable mounting. Prior to this disclosure the removal of a connection strip generally required the use of various tools to remove the bracket. The releasable mounting disclosed therein is equipped with release tabs which when pulled back allow the connection strip to be removed from the mounting bracket. Since both tabs must be pulled to release the connection strip, the process of removing the block generally requires the use of two hands by a technician.
In view of the foregoing there is a need for a connection strip that is capable of being mounted on a variety of mounting brackets and is easily releasable by the use of a single hand.